Test Your Online Security Quiz

Even though we’re obsessed with security, we know that you probably have other things on your mind. That’s why we created an Online Security Test. It’ll see where you’re at cybersecurity-wise, and can let you know if you’re vulnerable to hackers.

Security Baron’s Cybersecurity Tips

Along with our security quiz, we offer a few easy tips to improve your online security.

Two-Factor Authentication

The easiest way to increase your cybersecurity is to turn on two-factor authentication. Although it may seem tedious,

Receiving a push notification on your smartphone or

Using biometrics like your fingerprint

is a great way to ensure you are who you say you are.

Password Manager

We also recommend using a password manager which would create difficult and unique passwords for all of your websites and accounts. Don’t worry, though— you won’t have to remember all these passwords, just the password to your password vault. Depending on the password manager, you’ll be able to:

VPNS vs. Incognito Mode

For a user that wants even more security, we recommend using a VPN, or virtual private network. VPNs are useful if you:

Have particularly sensitive data or

Want to use a server from a different country.

Rather than being directly connected to the Internet, all of your data will travel through encrypted tunnels to private servers. Look out for our review of the best VPNs, coming soon.

Another, simpler option would be going on private or incognito mode. Keep in mind that incognito mode will only hide your internet activity from someone using your device, but it doesn’t protect your activity from outside of the device. Companies, employers, and governments will still be able to track you via your internet service provider, the websites you visit, and your network.

Social Media

Social media may seem ubiquitous today, but have you ever really stopped and thought about what data you’re putting out to the world? Many people faced a rude awakening when social media app Timehop had a data breach that affected about 21 million app users. Sensitive information like names, emails, and phone numbers was released, although private messages, photos, and Timehop data remained secure.

If you have any privacy concerns, start by making all of your social media accounts private. You may just think that you’re just posting fun pictures, but information like your:

Location

Education

Email

Employment

may be exposed to the world. It’s important to practice caution whenever posting on social media, especially if your profile is public.

Organizational Cybersecurity

For an organization, we recommend having a few people handle one account, rather than a single person through a personal account. If only one person handles an account and it’s hacked, there will be no way for other people to step in. Jumping off of that, if an employee quits or is terminated, social media accounts should be deleted as soon as possible. Otherwise, you risk having the former employee post something that could potentially damage your brand.

Aside from employees that have recently been let go, keep in mind that naive employees may be your biggest cybersecurity threat, according to cybersecurity consultants Cyber Academy. In fact, over 90% of cyber attacks are attributed to human error. Hackers’ strategies include:

Phishing

Ransomware

Pharming,

so it’s important to educate employees on potential threats.

Software Updates

Now let’s talk about your computer. Every computer should have:

Anti-virus

Anti-spyware

Firewall software

downloaded. Concurrently, users should update all app and operating system software right away, as this might contain further security updates. As viruses are constantly being tinkered with, frequent updates are a must.

Cloud Storage

If you have cloud storage, consider that you’re at an increased risk of being hacked. According to Symantec, over 75% of cloud websites contain vulnerabilities, nine percent of which are critical. We recommend:

Backing up your data to local storage like a hard drive

Closely monitoring the data you’re storing in the cloud.

Online Banking Security

Finally, we provide tips about financial security, and no, we don’t mean how much money you have. When it comes to online banking, users should

Consistently check their bank transactions to make sure every expense is accounted for

Make sure that a padlock symbol is visible before making any online purchases

If your browser is telling you that a website is insecure, it’s probably a good idea to not complete your purchase, no matter how cute that dress might look on you.

Got any questions or comments? Leave them below— we’re looking forward to hearing from you soon.